Adjustable pliers



Dec. 15, 1964 J. w. JOHNSON ADJUSTABLE PLIERS Filed NOV. 16, 1962 INVENTOR Jesse W. Johnson shit United States Patent 3,161,094 ADJUSTABLE PLHERS Jesse W. Johnson, 2633 E. 21st St, Wichita, Kass. Filed Nov. 16, 1 962, Ser. No. 238,226 1 (Ilaim. (Cl. 81-412) This invention relates to hand tools and more particularly to that class of hand tools known as pliers.

Pliers are one of mans' oldest hand tools, and, have been made in many different configurations and with many different ways of adjustment, yet, strange as it may seem, none have been produced that live up to all of their claims and expectations, which generally have been that one can easily and quickly adjust the pliers to nearly any size of bolt or the like, and that the pliers will not slip once they have been placed on a given object.

It is, therefore, the object of this invention to provide adjustable pliers that can be quickly adjusted by one hand to any size of object within the range of the jaws and securely hold the object without any danger of slipping.

The second object of this invention is to provide adjustable pliers that can be mass produced to retail at a price anyone can afford who wants adjustable pliers for use around the home, ofiice, factory, or garage, but who has limited funds for such a purchase.

Another object of this invention is to provide adjustable pliers that have a minimum number of parts.

Another object of this invention is to provide adjustable pliers having a spring loaded jaw which is an advantage recognized by anyone having experience in the hand tool art.

Another object of this invention is to provide adjustable pliers that will not lose their adjustment if dropped or are picked up by one hand.

Still another object but not necessarily the final object of this invention is to provide adjustable pliers having a ratchet action that is made possible in a unique stationary pawl in'corporatedin the tie bolt of the jaws.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description of one embodiment of this invention, and the'novel features wi 1 be particularly pointed out hereafter in the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawing:

FIGURE '1 is a side view of this invention of adjustable'pliers with their jaws open.

FIGURE 2 is an end view of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged side view of the jaws of this invention opened to their fullest extent. Partial open positionis shown by phantom lines, while one jaw in full open position is shown in cross-section to better show its internal construction.

FIGURE 4 is a pictorial view of the tie bolt of this invention.

FIGURE 5 is a pictorial view of the jaws of this invention of adjustable pliers in a full open position.

In the illustrated embodiment of this invention, the adjustable pliers consist of a handle having its upper end flattened into a rectangular member 11, which, in turn, has its outer end terminate in a holding member 12, which is at right angle to the aforesaid rectangular member 11. The rectangular member 11 is provided with an elongated opening 13 having its upper edge formed into a plurality of ratchet teeth 14, as clearly shown in FIGURES l, 3, and 5 of the accompanying drawing.

A second handle 15 has its upper end formed into one rectangular side 16 of the holding member 17 that in turn has half of its lower end formed into a rectangular member 18, which, in effect, provides this part of my invention with an inverted U-shaped member, when viewed I from the side, since the aforesaid rectangular member 18 is parallel to and in spaced relation to the rectangular side 16 of the second handle 15. The rectangular mernber 11 of the handle 10 is swingably mounted be tween the rectangular side 16, and the rectangular member 18 by means of the tie bolt 19-. The bolt 19 consists of a head 2t) having a boss 21, the outer end of which,

side 16 of the second handle'IS and, the rectangular.

member 18 of the same handle, and the aforesaid rectangular member 11 of the \handle 11). This assembly brings the triangular pivot, member 22 of the bolt 19' in contact with the ratchet teeth 141' in the elongated opening 13 of the aforesaid rectangular member 11.

Looking now at FIGURES 3 and 5 of the accompanying drawing, it will be seen that the holding member 17 is provided with a cylindrical recess 25 between the upper end of the rectangular side 16 and the rectangular member 18. A headed guide pin 26 having a stem 27 projecting into the aforesaid cylindrical recess 25 is kept in place by means of the compression spring 28 when this invention is assembled with the head 29 of the aforesaid guide pin 2d resting on the upper surface 30 of the already described rectangular member 11 of the handle 10. The purpose of this spring loaded guide pin 26 is obviously to provide compression on that one of the handles of this tool that has the rectangular member 11 with its elongated opening and ratchet teeth 14 held firmly in place against the apex of the triangular pilot 22 of the tie bolt 19, until the handle 10 is moved to another desired place of adjustment, as for example, is shown in phantom lines in FIGURE 3 of the accompanying drawing. .The V-shaped inner surface of the holding member 12, and the alike surface 'of the holding member 17 are both designated by the reference numeral 31 in the accompanying drawing, in order to provide a better grip on whatever is being handled by these pliers which, of course, can have the aforesaid inner surface contoured to any desired shape.

The construction of this invention in its preferred embodiment has now been given in detail, though one, of course, can make certain changes in its construction and configuration and still fall within the scope of the appended claims. The way in which this invention is used is obvious to anyone who has ever heldpliers in their hand, when the accompanying drawing is examined in connection with the reading of this specification, however, there is one slight feature of this invention that should be pointed out at this time, namely, the fact that both ends of the tie bolt 19 are supported, one end by the rectangular member-16 and the rectangular member 13 thereby preventing unequal stress on either end of the tie bolt and this gives a longer life to the pliers.

Having now described this invention of mine, what I now desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

Adjustable pliers comprising a handle having its upper end terminate ina flattened rectangular member, the upper end of said rectangular member terminating in a holding member at right angle thereto, said holding member being a jaw and said rectangular member having an elongated opening therein, the upper surface of which, is provided with a plurality of equally spaced and parallel ratchet teeth on the upper edge thereof, and each tooth being triangular, as viewed from the side, and a second handle having its upper end terminate in a rectangular member similar to the rectangular member of the first mentioned handle and terminating in a holding member identical to and normally mating with the first mentioned holding member, the lower end of the second mentioned holding member terminating in a rectangular member parallel to, and in equal spaced relation to the second mentioned rectangular member, which is also part of this second mentioned holding member and the rectagular member of the first mentioned handle swingably mounted between the two rectangular members of the second mentioned handle, and a tie bolt having a button head embodying a centrally located boss that slidably passes through an opening in the first mentioned rectangular member of the second mentioned handle, and said boss having a centrally located pivot that is triangular in cross-section, said pivot normally being in spring loaded engagement with said teeth of the first mentioned rectangular member and the pivot terminating in a centrally located threaded shank projecting through the last mentioned rectangular member of the second mentioned handle, and a nut screwed on the outer end of the said threaded shank of said tie bolt, thereby swingably securing the first and second mentioned handles together, and the holding member of the second handle having a cylindrical recess between the rectangular members, of the said second-mentioned handle, and a headed guide pin having a compression spring on the upper end thereof and projecting into the cylindrical recess thereby providing a spring load on the upper surface of said first mentioned rectangular member of the first mentioned handle of said adjustable pliers.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 284,933 9/83 Wilbur 81-411 X 931,510 8/09 Smith 81-412 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,093,672 11/54 France.

882,379 7/53 Germany. 411,000 3/25 Germany.

20 WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner. 

